Refrigeration cabinet



Jur le 17, 1958 r R. s so 2,838,917

' [REFRIGERATION CABINET Filed May 3, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTYS.

United States Patent C 2,838,917. REFRIGERATION CABINET Application May 3, i955, Serial No. 505,678

Claims. c1. 62117.4)

This invention relates to the art of refrigeration, and is concerned .with provision of an unusually simple and economical home freezer. While various combinations of compressor, condenser and evaporator units have heretofore been employed in-such freezers, it has been customary in cases in which air-cooled condensers have been employed to effect the desired flow of air to cool the refrigerating fluid by means of a fan or blower which occupies considerable space, consumes considerable power, and also produces noise and vibration.

It is the object of this invention to provide a combination for use in refrigeration or freezing apparatus, in which a very simple type of condenser unit may be employed for cooling both the compressor and the condenser surfaces, and in which this unit derives its flow of air across the cooling surfaces entirely by convection;

It is a further object of the invention to combine with this method of cooling of the primary condenser surfaces, a secondary condenser consisting of a conduit insulated from the space within the cabinet to be refrigerated, and in heat exchange with the atmosphere outside the cabinet, so that further heat may be extracted by flow of the refrigerant through this conduit, after it leaves the primary condenser and before it passes to the evaporator section of the refrigerant conduit system.

-It is a further object of the invention to provide a very simple bafiling arrangement by which the desired convective flow of air across the primary condenser cooling surfaces may be attained while at the same time producing a further convective flow across the compressor to keep it from overheating.

1 Still further objects and advantages of the invention, and the manner in which they have been attained, will he evidentfrom reading of the following detailed de- ..ription in the light of the attached drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the freezer cabinet of the invention, 1

Figure 2 is an end view of this freezer cabinet,

Figure '3 is a cross-section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, illustrating the mounting of the compressor and condenser in relation to an overhangingledge of the freezer cabinet,

Figure 4-is a diagrammatic view illustrating the fiow of refrigerantthrough' the condensers mounted within the wall'portions'of the cabinet, and t Figure 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 5-5 Figure 1'. 7

As illustrated in the drawing, the refrigeration cabinet 10 may comprise a bottom Wall portion 11 adapted to rest upon a suitable pedestal or base 12, a rear wall 13, an

end wall 14, an. opposite end wall, 15, a front wall 16 and a hinged top 17 through which articles to be cooled and stored are introduced into the cabinet container space. In the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant in gaseous form is first passed through an impeller-compressor,.thence through condensing. and strainingunits to and through a capillary tube, whence it passes through a drying unit and conduit sections in which it expands in secondary heat exchange relation to the interior of the 2,838,917 Patented June 17, 1958 The broad aspects of the flow of refrigerant through its cycle are illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 4 and 5. It is impelled under pressure from compressor 18 through air-cooled condenser 19 and thence through conduit section 20 in the outer portions of the walls 13, 15, 16 and 14 as illustrated. These conduit sections are mounted exteriorly of the insulation 22 provided within each of the walls 13-16 of the cabinet, and adjacent its outer metal shell 23. Since the refrigerant is substantially above room temperature as it leaves condenser 19, it will be cooled down by heat exchange with the surrounding air materially during its passage through conduit section 20, and will be liquefied by the time it leaves that section at 24. This section thus constitutes a secondary condenser.

From conduit 20, the liquefied refrigerant passes through a capillary conduit 25, and this conduit is in recuperative heat exchange relationship with return refrigerant from the evaporator section, as illustrated by the recuperative heat exchanger 26.

The refrigerant is next passed through its operative by the insulation 22 (see Figure 5) and in secondary mounted.

heat exchange relation with the storage space within the cabinet, through its metal liner 28. The elements of conduit section 20 may advantageously be bonded to outer shell 23 and the elements of conduit 27 may be bonded similarly to liner 28.

After passing successively through the convolutions of section 27 in walls 14, 13, 15 and 16, and through an accumulator section, the gaseous refrigerant is passed in recuperative heat exchange to entering liquid refrigerant in capillary tube 25 in heat exchanger 26, and flows thence to compressor 18 for recycling.

As an example of the operation of this system, the hot gaseous refrigerant may have its temperature reduced by 50 F. in passing through condenser 19, and it may be further cooled in the shell condenser provided by conduit 20 until it passes into capillary tube 25 at ap proximately 10 above room temperature. By the time it reaches the accumulator at the exit end of conduit section 27 it may be at about -l5, and it may be warmed to a temperature approaching room temperature by indirect recuperative heat exchange with liquid refrigerant passing through heat exchanger 26 in capillary tube 25.

The primary features of the invention relate to the condenser 19, compressor 18, and their mounting in relation to the cabinet structure and conduit details discussed above. The condenser 19 preferably comprises a unit of the familiar type involving tubing convolutions 30 mounted within spaced fins or plates 29 extending transversely of the tubing lengths and providing extensive surfaces for dissipation of heat to air flowing through the unit and between these surfaces. By the combination of the air cooling flow features discussed below with the secondary cooling features provided by conduit section 20 and heat exchanger 26, I am enabled to provide an effective refrigeration cycle with the aid of a very small condenser unit 19, and without the need of any fan or blower to produce a flow of cooling air through I this unit or in cooling relationship to compressor 18.-

The front and rear walls of the cabinet are broken away at-their tight ends as illustrated at 32 in Figure l, and the right-end wall 14. is stepped inwardly as indicated at 33 to provide an open space or pocket 34 (Figure 3) within which compressor 18 and condenser 19 are This space is preferably maintained open substantially vertically and transversely of the: housing toward the rear of this pocket and is securedto'compressor l'd'by a suitable bracket 37. The plate members 29 of the condenser may be mounted upon arms or brackets 38' extending rearwardly from the baflie 36 and a diagonally bent extension 39 thereof. It will be seen that the rear end of the extension 39 lies virtually in the same plane as the rearwall 13 of the cabinet and vertically a small distance below the overhanging ledge 40 constituting the lower edge of that wall forming the upper boundary of the. pocket 34. I

The supporting platform 35 terminates slightly in advance of the plane of the wall 13, and a strip 41 extends across' the rear edge of the pocket as an extension of the Wall, thereby forming by this strip and a corresponding strip 42extending-vertically at the corner of the cabinet, a rectangular frame-work which provides an outlet for cooling air. In use of the apparatus, air coming into contact with the hot surfaces of the condenser 19 rises convectively as illustrated by the arrows toward the rear of Figure 3, and this causes flow offurther air upwardly into the space occupied by the condenser and across the plates 2-9 and tubing convolutions '28, as iilustrated by the arrows A in Figure 3. There is thus produced a chimney effect which creates a constant draft of'cooling air across the condenser surface and serves to cool these surfaces much more effectively than could otherwise be accomplished except with the use of a fan or blower. At the same time, air is drawn from the opposite side and through the right end wall of the cabinet into the pocket 34 and against the compressor 18,.

and this forced flow of air, together with the chimney effect causing it to flow rearwardly through the space indicated by the arrows B, assists greatly in avoiding overheating of compressor 18. There is thus attained a very simple and effective mounting of the compressorcondenser unit which, together with the other cooling features of the invention, makes it possible to dispense all together. with any need for producing a mechanical fiow of the air by which this unit is cooled.

While the invention has been described above only in relation to a single specific embodiment thereof, persons skilled in the art will be aware that it may be refined and modified in various ways without departing from its fundamental principles. I therefore wish to have it understood that this invention is not to be limited in interpretationexcept by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination comprising a freezer cabinet providing an enclosure, a refrigerant conduit section mounted upon the wall structure of said cabinet exteriorly of the inner surface thereof and in heat exchange relationship with the atmosphere surrounding the same, insulating material within the cabinet wall portion upon which said refrigerant conduit section is mounted, a second conduit section mounted in the wall area enclosed by said insulation and in heat exchange relation with the interior of the cabinet and interconnected to receive refrigerant from said first conduit section, a flow-restricting device interconnecting said conduit sections, a compressor interconnected with said second. conduit section to receive refrigerant therefrom, a condenser mounted to receive refrigerant from said compressor and conduct it toward said first conduit section in its refrigeration cycle, said condenser comprising a convection air-cooled unit mounted in. an openv space beneath an'overhanging ledge of said cabinet-strucplate lying inwardly of said condenser beneath said ledge and having an" singularly bentex'tension atits'upper"end" overlying said condenser and terminating below and substantially in line with a vertical wall portion at the outer cdge of said overhanging ledge.

2. A refrigerating apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said compressor is'- Inounted beneath said ledge inwardly of said bafile, and within said open space providing free flow of air across said compressor and upwardly along the side of said bafile plate opposite to said" condenser.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination comprising a freezer cabinet providing an enclosure, a condenser refrigerant'conduit section" mountedup'onthe wall structure of said cabinet,exteriorly'ofl'the inner surface thereof and in heat exchange relationship with the atmosphere surrounding the same, an evaporator conduit section insulated from said condenser conduit section and lying inwardly thereof and'interconnected' therewith to receive refrigerant therefrom, said evaporatorconduit' section being in heat exchange relationship with the" freezer space within said enclosure, a flow-restricting de vice interconnecting said conduit sections, a compressor interconnected with said evaporator conduit sectionwto' receive refrigerant therefrom, a condenser to receive refrigerant from said compressor and conduct it toward-said condenser conduit section in its'refrigeration cycle; said" condenser comprising a' convection air-cooled unit mounted in an open space beneath an overhanging ledge of said cabinet structure, and communicating through its lower end with the air space outside said cabinet a" vertically extending baffle plate lying inwardly of said condenser beneath said ledge and having. an angularly bent extension at its upper end overlying said condenser and terminating below and substantially in line witlra vertical wall portion at the outer edge of said overh ang ing ledge.

4. A refrigerating apparatus as definedin claim 3in which. said compressor is mounted beneath said ledge inwardly of said baflie, and within said opensp'ace providing free flow of air across said compressor a'ndup wardly along the side of said baffle plate opposite-'tosaid condenser.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, the'combinationcomprising a freezer cabinet providing an enclosure, a-com=- pressor for compressing refrigerant gas=and impelling it' through the refrigerating cycle, an air-cooledcondenser receivingsaid gas as impelled by said compressor, and anevaporator conduit receiving said fluid and conductin'g it in heat exchange relationship .to' the storage space within said enclosure, and means connectingthe dis'-' charge of said evaporator conduit with said com'pressor; said condenser comprising a convection air-cooled'unit mounted in an open space beneath an overhangingledge of said cabinet structure, a flow-restricting device interconnecting said conduit sections, a vertically extending baffle platelying inwardly of said condenser beneath' 'said ledge and having an angularly bent extension at its-upper end overlying said condenser and terminating below'a'nd substantially in line with a vertical wall portion at'the outer edge of said overhanging ledge, said baflie plate-ba ing interposed between said condenser and said compressor and defining separate paths for flow of cooling air to said condenser and said compressor, said baflie creating a forced draft of air across saidcompressor from regions of said open space unaffected by heat from said condenser.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED? STATES PATENTS 1,932,172 Estler; Oct. 24, 1933 2,667,763 Harris Feb. 2',- 1954 2,675,901

Childers Apr. 20, 4 

